Page 162 of My Sweetest Temptation

“What’s happening?” I choked out.

“We’re under attack,” he replied.

“Oh, my God,” I whimpered, tears streaming down my cheeks as I clutched his shirt, gripping the soft fabric like it was my lifeline.

“You’re okay, baby,” he whispered. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

More screams erupted, and Mya clutched Aurelio tightly, her face pale.

“Stay low!” Nico ordered. He glanced around, assessing the situation. “We need to get them out of here," Nico told his uncle.

“The secret door!” Luca shouted, his voice rising above the chaos.

"Emilia, come!" Alessandro demanded. She followed him, and they ran toward the corner room. Alessandro flipped the light switch and entered a code, the wall sliding open to reveal a hidden room.

"Go, now!" he hissed.

Serafina grabbed Aurelio, her own hands trembling. “Come with me, sweetheart,” she said softly, leading him toward the back of the room.

“Winter, go,” Nico whispered urgently.

"No, I'm not leaving you,” I strangled out.

“Damn it, Winter! Listen to me for once!” His voice roared like thunder, but I remained frozen, the fear of losing him paralyzing me.

“Come on, we have to go!” Matteo urged, gripping Mya’s arm tightly as the frantic sounds of gunfire echoed around us.

The sharp crack of bullets ricocheting off the walls sent my heart racing. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the madness surrounding us. A loud crash echoed through the room, forcing me to open my eyes. One of the intruders shouted something in Italian, and Enzo and Miguel rushed inside the room, their expressions fierce, weapons drawn.

“Get them out! We’ll hold them off!” Enzo bellowed.

“Go. Now!” Nico yelled, pushing me toward the back of the room.

We darted toward the exit, my heart pounding in my chest. We reached the exit, but the havoc felt endless. I turned back to see Nico standing at the door, his body tense, ready to protect them at all costs.

“Please, go!” he shouted again, desperation in his voice.

With one last glance, I tore myself away from the others.

“Keep running! And don’t you dare fucking look back.” Nico’s voice echoed as we dashed into the darkness.

The shooting continued.

We stepped out into the hall, where we had a secure vantage point since the room was separated from the dining hall. The restaurant had three private rooms, and ours was at the far end of the building, so they would have to get through the crowd before reaching us. Miguel was behind us in case there were any surprises.

Enzo crouched at the end of the wall and held up four fingers.

Lo, Luca, Matteo, and I checked the number of rounds we had in our guns. I had a full magazine, and with five against four, we had the advantage.

I turned to Lo and then Miguel and whispered, "I want you two to go in the back and see if you can get a good shot while we take the front."

They both nodded and exited toward the back that led to the kitchen.

A few gunshot warnings went off inside, and people screamed.

Matteo pulled out his phone and read what was on the screen before showing it to me.

Mercedes

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